Shock Advised
by Zana Zira
Summary: When a supposedly easy hunt for some extra gil takes a turn for the worse, Gladio's life is suddenly left hanging in the balance, and for the first time in his life it falls to the Prince of Lucis and his advisor to save the life of his Sworn Shield. Gen. Hurt!Gladio, Hurt!Prompto, Heroic!Noct, BAMF!Ignis. Rated for some slight gore, as it pertains to monster hunting.


**A/N: Hello, everyone! Here is the Gladio whump I promised back in, what, October? It took me forever to finally decide I was happy with it, but I'm honestly happy I waited, because I am _proud_ of this one! Hope you all enjoy, and I've got about 50 prompts for FFXV fics written down, so there should be a lot more coming very soon!**

* * *

"Noct, look out!"

Noctis dove to the side at the sound of his Shield's warning, barely missing being impaled as the lead mare of the Spiracorn herd charged at him from behind. A quick, relieved breath slipped past his lips and he warped up onto the crazed equine's back, managing to land a few deep slashes with his sword before she was able to buck him off again. He hit the ground and rolled to break his fall, and as the mare continued on toward Ignis and Prompto he sighed, standing up and wiping the sweat from his brow as he prepared to throw himself back into the fray.

This was supposed to have been an easy hunt, but as usual, it had turned out more complicated than they had expected. The bounty had stated there was a small family of Spiracorns – a stallion, mare, and two young foals – that were attacking passerby at the roadside and kept coming back despite the locals' attempts to drive them away peacefully. The reward for disposing of them was a respectable five thousand gil, too, thanks to a hefty donation from a nearby landowner whose livestock was also being threatened by the family of monsters. So despite the fact that the overgrown ponies were quick and packed some mean hooves in addition to the obvious danger of the horns, they decided to take the hunt, feeling a few bumps and bruises were a small price to pay if it meant finally finding some decent lodging and restocking their supplies.

Once they arrived, though, they'd found not two adults and two foals, but six fully grown Spiracorns: five mares and one massive beast of a stallion. And from there, things got infinitely more complicated.

"Prompto, you're up!" Gladio shouted, returning to his own target now that he had assured his king's safety. The gunner quickly fired a barrage of bullets at the mare Noctis had managed to weaken; she went down with a squealing neigh, and a few more well-placed slashes from Noct ended her struggling moments later.

"Remind me never to take a Spiracorn hunt again," Prompto groaned, holstering his handgun so he could grip his wounded left shoulder, which was at best dislocated and at worst broken after one of the creatures had managed to land a glancing blow just beside his collarbone. "I think all the 'majesty and wonder' has officially worn off now."

"Indeed," Ignis agreed as he threw one of his Assassin's Daggers at another, landing a killing blow between the eyes and getting showered with blood for his efforts. "I intend to have a few strong words with our tipster when we return regarding his failure to differentiate between adult and juvenile Spiracorns – and his apparent inability to count."

"How many is that left now? Just the one?" Noctis panted, casting his gaze around the field and not spotting any more of the creatures other than the stallion, which Gladio was still doing a fair job holding off on his own.

"So it would seem."

"Alright Specs, I'm going on ahead, you and Prom back me up." Noctis took off running to join Gladio while Ignis retrieved his dagger from the skull of the fallen monster, Prompto lingering back with the advisor while he struggled to reload his gun with only one hand. Noct had nearly reached the Shield when the great stallion swiped downward with his horn, the frightening appendage punching deep into the ground just moments after Gladio dodged out of the way. In his haste to escape the horn, though, the larger man had looked away from the hooves, and before he could dodge again he was met by a harsh kick in the center of his chest, sending him flying several feet away and crashing into the dry ground.

"Gladio!" Prompto cried from somewhere behind Noctis, and the raven kept his attention focused on the Spiracorn, knowing Prompto would already be on his way over to help the Shield and would call for them if need be. Noctis could see Ignis just out of the corner of his eye, quickly sending his daggers back to the Armiger and exchanging them for his Drain Lance while he looked for the beast's most vulnerable points. Already on the move, the raven decided he might as well do some damage and create an opening for Ignis while he was at it.

"Alright, on my signal," Noctis called over his shoulder, flames dancing along the length of his broadsword as he tapped into the Crystal's magic and charged the spell. He took a calming breath, focusing the magic into a tighter and tighter area until the flames burned blue with its intensity, and then leapt forward, hurling the blade toward the Spiracorn's head and warping immediately after it. There was just enough time to see the creature's enraged, bloodshot eyes meet his before he made his move, swinging the white-hot metal in an arc across his chest and burning away the monster's sight as he did so. The stallion gave an ear-piercing shriek, rearing up on its hind legs and shaking its horned head violently, and as Noctis dropped to the ground and got himself out of harm's way, he glimpsed the graceful form of his advisor sprinting past him, polearm poised for the kill.

With a strength belied by his tall, slender form, Ignis sprang several feet into the air, thrusting the point of the spear perfectly between the Spiracorn's ribs and piercing through its heart. The effect was nearly instantaneous; the massive equine gave one last enraged bellow, throwing its staggering bulk toward Ignis with the intent to crush him under its weight, and then dropped to the ground just short of him, blood dripping from its nostrils and pooling around its enormous head.

Noctis let his shoulders slump with a sigh of relief, meeting his advisor next to the Spiracorn carcass and helping him to remove the bloodstained polearm before sending it back to the Armiger to be dealt with later. Then he turned in the direction he had last seen Prompto running, expecting to see the gunner and his Shield making their way back toward him. Instead, though, he saw Gladio on his knees in the rocky soil, Prompto pulling one of his arms over his good shoulder and trying to help the much larger man to his feet.

That in and of itself was enough to spur Noctis toward them a bit faster, because even a kick from a Spiracorn wasn't usually enough to put Gladio out of commission for more than a minute. But when Gladio did manage to shakily get to his feet next to Prompto, only to suddenly press a hand to the center of his chest and then fall to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, Noctis abandoned running altogether, hurling his broadsword toward them and warping after it until he was standing at the larger man's side. Ignis skidded to a halt next to him less than a second later, and in any other circumstances Noctis might have taken the time to be impressed. As it was, though, he stood frozen to the spot, having reached his Shield but now unsure what he should do.

Ignis, bless him, wasted no time in taking control of the situation, dropping to his knees beside Gladio and placing his index and middle fingers against the pulse point on the inside of his tattooed wrist. Then his eyes widened, and Noctis's heart sank as his advisor positioned himself over the center of Gladio's already-bare chest and immediately started compressions, counting under his breath and pushing deeply enough that Noctis was sure he was breaking bones.

"Prompto!" Ignis barked, leaning forward to pinch Gladio's nose and deliver two rescue breaths before resuming the compressions. "Call for help!"

The gunner snapped to attention and obeyed, pulling out his phone and pacing back and forth a few feet away as he all but shouted their location to what must have been the paramedics. After performing a second set of rescue breaths and making sure Gladio's chest expanded with each one, Ignis finally directed his attention to Noctis.

"Noct, I need your assistance," he huffed out between compressions, sweat beading on his face and biceps as his already battle-weary muscles began to fatigue.

Noctis obediently crouched down beside him, shaking with adrenaline as his Shield still failed to revive, head lolling lifelessly back and forth with each push from Ignis's hands. "What can I do?"

Ignis took a moment to check Gladio's pulse and immediately resumed his work, expression pained and fearful despite the way his steady hands never slowed their work or missed a beat.

"The kick to his chest must have disrupted the rhythm of his heart, and compressions alone won't be enough to right it. The only possible solution is a short electrical shock delivered at just the right moment; if done correctly, we can return it to normal, the way a defibrillator would."

"But, we don't have a defibrillator," Noct began hesitantly, beginning to see where Ignis was going with this and not liking it one bit.

"No, we don't," his advisor responded after yet another set of rescue breaths. His gaze was trained intently on Noctis, arms beginning to shake with strain as he fought to keep Gladio alive. "But we do have someone capable of channeling lightning magic."

"I – me? Ignis, I can't, there's… I've never tried using lightning like that. What if I make it worse?"

"There is no possibility of making it worse," Ignis said, breathless but deadly calm. "If we don't act now, he is guaranteed to die before help can arrive. At least this way we might buy him more time. Noct, _please_."

Noctis heard the mounting desperation in Ignis's voice and felt his blood run cold, the thousand-and-one possible ways this might not work nearly immobilizing him with fear. He could see Prompto from the corner of his eye, bouncing anxiously on the balls of his feet as he waited for any sign of the help they all knew would arrive too late to do any good.

"Okay." Noctis's voice sounded distant to his own ears as he sat at Gladio's head and placed his palms on either side of Ignis's, his right slightly above the level of Gladio's heart and his left just below. He tried not to think about how wrong this felt, how lifeless and still his Shield was beneath him, as he softly asked, "What do I do?"

"On my word," Ignis panted, moving from his straddling position to sit beside Gladio as his entire body trembled with exertion, "you deliver the quickest, most precise shock that you can between your hands. I'll check his pulse, and we will repeat it as many times as necessary until help arrives."

He nodded, waiting with bated breath while he pulled energy of the Crystal to his fingertips and prayed to the Six that Gladio would recover on his own. His prayers went unanswered, though, and a moment later Ignis lifted his hands a safe distance and commanded, "Now, Noct!"

Blinking against the burn of tears, Noctis released a fraction of the magic he would normally use in a lightning spell, nausea rising in his throat as Gladio's muscles tensed beneath his palms and his chest jolted involuntarily upward. Noctis pulled away for a moment, watching as Ignis checked his pulse again.

The advisor shook his head and quietly uttered, "Again."

Noctis bit back a sob, lowering his hands and delivering another shock, knowing he would never be able to forgive himself if Gladio didn't pull through this. There was still so much he had to prove to him, so many things he still had to learn before he was ready to become king. Without Gladio and the others, he would never have even made it this far. Numbness overtook him as he pulled back to let Ignis check again; somewhere behind him, he could hear Prompto sobbing brokenly.

He was already moving back into position, ready for Ignis to tell him it still hadn't worked, when the advisor threw an arm out in front of him, eyes narrowed in concentration as he moved his fingers from Gladio's wrist to just beneath his jaw.

Then, before Ignis could utter a word, Gladio gave a choked gasp, and his eyes cracked ever so slightly open before he was overtaken with rough coughing, moaning in pain and trying to curl up around his chest while he sucked in weak, stuttering breaths.

"Quickly, turn him on his side!" Ignis ordered, and Noctis wasted no time in helping him roll Gladio over, keeping a hand on his chest and smiling through tears while he relished the feeling of Gladio's lungs expanding again and again, however irregularly, all on their own. A moment later he heard the sound of a helicopter cutting through the skies above, Prompto shouting and waving his one good arm frantically to make sure the pilots could see them. Beside him, Ignis removed his glasses and ran a trembling hand down his face, finally allowing himself to give in to just the barest amount of shock now that the initial crisis was past. He then shook it off just as quickly so that he could relay all of the relevant information about Gladio to the paramedics.

The medics had Gladio loaded onto a stretcher in what seemed like seconds, and before Noctis could even ask them any questions about his prognosis they were sliding the door to the chopper closed, making their way to the nearest hospital at top speed.

Ignis, unsurprisingly, was the first one in motion, wrapping his arms protectively around Noctis' and Prompto's shoulders as they made their way back to the Regalia, and for once, Noctis was too energized to fall asleep for the entire two-hour drive back to town.

**~FFXV~**

By the time the three of them made it to the hospital in Lestallum, Iris was already waiting for them, having been contacted by Ignis during the drive so that she would know of her brother's condition. She gave them a teary smile and rushed over immediately, hugging them each in turn and whispering such a heartfelt "Thank you!" that it sent Prompto into tears again and almost had Noctis going, as well.

"He's already been awake and asking about you guys," she said cheerfully, brushing away the last traces of tears from her cheeks. "Dr. Liner says the CPR and makeshift defib were enough to prevent any long-term damage, and they've already given him an Elixir to make sure no internal injuries get left behind. They have him on some good drugs right now and he's gonna be sore for a while, but so far they're just planning to keep him for observation tonight and then release him tomorrow."

Prompto breathed a sigh of relief, and even Ignis's usual stoicism couldn't contain his bright smile at the news.

"Well, then, would you like to be the first go see him, Noct?" Ignis asked, placing an arm out in front of Prompto before he could sprint down the hallway toward the observation floor. "Prompto and I will be there shortly, but first I believe we should get this arm seen to."

Prompto winced, seemingly just remembering the fact that he'd probably broken his shoulder during the fight and that it was actually pretty painful. "Yeah, you go ahead, buddy. We'll catch up later."

Noctis nodded, following quietly behind Iris as she led him toward a room at the end of the hall and then stepped aside to let him enter.

"I have to go get some things ready back at home," she told him, already turning on her heel to leave. "I'd like you all to stay for at least a few days and recuperate – plus I really need to give him a talking to after giving all of us such a scare – but I didn't want to leave him alone until you guys got here."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'm not going anywhere."

Iris nodded and then spun on her heel, disappearing around the corner and leaving Noctis feeling strangely awkward the second he was alone. He took a moment to gather his courage and then pushed open the door, stepping into the room to find Gladio propped up in bed, head back on the pillows behind him and snoring quietly, at least compared to the way he normally did. An I.V. line trailed from his left hand to a bag of fluids near the head of the bed, and electrodes ran from his now gown-covered chest to a set of machines keeping track of his vitals. In his right hand was a flimsy tabloid magazine, still open to a review of the most recent episode of Gladio's favorite soap opera that he only watched when "nothing else was on." Noctis smiled and lifted it from his hand, dog-earing the page and placing it on the nightstand so he could pick it up later.

The movement seemed to be enough to rouse Gladio, who snuffled sleepily a couple of times before opening his eyes and fighting to bring them into focus on Noctis.

"Mmmhh… Hey…" he yawned, lifting his arms up to stretch before wincing and lowering them again when it pulled on the strained muscles and bruised bones in his chest. "Time's it?"

"A little after seven, last I checked. But don't hold me to that, I've been kinda distracted, for obvious reasons. Ignis probably knows for sure, but he's with Prompto getting his arm set."

"Yeah…" Now Gladio looked serious, the sleepy fog beginning to fade away as he turned to look at Noctis. "So, listen. I really gotta thank you for that, Noct."

Noctis, having already been prepared for some kind of verbal lashing from Gladio about using magic irresponsibly or not being as well-trained in first aid as he should be, just sat there with his mouth open for a second, processing what his Shield had just said.

"I… well, you're welcome. I mean, it was the least I could do. You'd have done the same for me."

Gladio waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, well, I'm your Shield. Protecting you kinda goes with the job description. But that was some quick thinking. I know it was Ignis who coached you, but honestly, in your situation, I don't know that either of us could have done what you did – or at least not done it and succeeded. There's a reason I prefer physical weapons to magical ones; that stuff takes a whole other kind of finesse than what I'm capable of, and even Iggy can only use a little. A future King of Lucis needs to be able to keep that kind of control even under those conditions, but it's something you have to learn on your own – Ignis and I can't drill it into you. I'm proud of you, Noct."

A quiet chuckle bubbled up out of him against his will, and he was just grateful it wasn't a sob, because he kind of didn't know whether he should smile or cry. "_You're_ proud of _me?_ Now I _know_ you're drugged," he teased.

"Eh, maybe I am," Gladio shrugged, flicking a switch on the bed so that it reclined back a little lower. "But, still," he fixed Noctis with a much softer smile than any the prince had seen in a long time. "Thought you should know."

Feeling nothing more needed to be said, they slipped into a companionable silence. Noctis turned on the TV and made a big show of disliking every channel he flipped past before finally spotting Gladio's soap opera and deciding he might as well watch it since "nothing else was on."

Before long, Ignis and Prompto entered the room as well, Prompto's left arm dangling uselessly in a sling as the numbing agents he'd been given while his shoulder was set and healed wore off. They took some time to catch up with Gladio and he thanked the two of them as well, joking and laughing until he was practically falling asleep sitting up.

Finally, Ignis declared that it was time for them to leave Gladio alone to get some rest. The Shield muttered a sleepy goodbye, giving one last thumbs-up to Noct before he turned to walk out the door, and then the three of them set off for the Leville to procure a room for the night. And if Ignis or Prompto noticed the happy tears shimmering in Noctis's eyes as they went, they were kind enough not to mention it.

* * *

**A/N: So, for those who haven't seen or heard about it, what Gladio experienced here was something called "commotio cordis" or "agitation of the heart," when a blunt force hits the chest at just the right time in the heart's beat so that it sends a person into V-fib. This is the thing that has killed a lot of baseball players and other athletes in the past, and without a defibrillator it's almost guaranteed to be fatal (even with a defib and proper CPR it's still almost 65% fatal) which is the reason baseball fields are now required by law in most places to have a working defibrillator on site at all times. Thank goodness Iggy paid attention in his first aid training!**


End file.
